


Abducted

by Nemesis (ThetaSigma), ThetaSigma



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Canon-Typical Abduction, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, case!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 22:24:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6027616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThetaSigma/pseuds/Nemesis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThetaSigma/pseuds/ThetaSigma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in the park turns into a nightmare at SVU, with a case that hits too close to home for some of its members.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Abducted

John’s cell phone rang. Fin looked up curiously; few people called John now that he had retired and was working as a special investigator. John picked it up without glancing at the caller ID because he refused to acknowledge that caller ID could be a good thing – “just an excuse for us to screen our calls and get us out of talking to people who might want to talk to us. In my day, you had to pick up the damn phone and deal with whoever was on the line, and it made us better friends and neighbors, it kept that connection alive.” Fin had tried arguing that it would cut down on the number of telemarketers John talked to (another rant-worthy subject from John), but John still stoutly refused to glance at caller ID and said that anyone who wasn’t selling him something was someone he was going to talk to for at least a minute, because that was the right thing to do.

“Alejandro,” John said warmly. “What’s up?”

Fin looked in interest, wondering why his son-in-law was calling.

“Sure, we can take Amy for a day,” John continued. “Be nice to see our granddaughter.”

***

The day that they were due to take Amy, Fin got called into work. “You sure you’re fine?” Fin asked.

John shot him a look. “I think I can handle a two-year-old by myself, especially one who calls me ‘Grandpa John’, Fin,” John said witheringly. “Go work. Amy and I will go to the park.”

“Lucky,” Fin said enviously.

There was a knock at the door, and John opened it, greeting his granddaughter with a big hug. “Hey, you,” he said warmly, picking her up. “You want to go to the park?”

“Yes!” she shrieked in delight, throwing her arms around John’s neck. “Grandpa Fin, you too!”

“No, baby, I gotta work,” Fin said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You and Grandpa John have fun, and I’ll be home in time for all of us to have dinner, maybe.”

Amy pouted.

Alejandro was smiling and turned to John. “Thank you,” he said. “I didn’t know what we were going to do – we’re meeting with some agents, trying to find a new place.”

“Adopting again?” John asked.

Alejandro nodded. “Thinking about it, anyway. We want her to have a sibling.”

“Well, don’t mention it,” John said. “I love spending time with her.”

*** 

They had walked through the park, Amy skipping and leaping in front of John, who was walking at a more sedate pace, occasionally telling Amy to slow down and wait for her old grandpa. John had enjoyed the walk, especially seeing the delight on Amy’s face at every new thing.

They got to one of the streets that ran through Central Park, and John held Amy’s hand firmly. “There are cars here, honey,” he said. 

A car slowed to a stop in front of him and he frowned. There was no reason for it to stop, and he turned with Amy to walk back towards the park.

There was a gun in his face. John put his free hand up, damning himself for not bringing his gun with him today. Why would he? It was a casual day in the park with his granddaughter, and he didn’t like to keep a loaded gun near a toddler, even if it _was_ on his hip. Toddlers were quick little devils sometimes, and accidents could happen in the blink of an eye.

“You two, in the car,” the guy growled. He was wearing a ski mask. John looked around critically, trying to see if there was any way out of it.

“I _said_ , in the car!” the guy snapped, storming closer.

John scooped Amy up protectively and headed towards the car reluctantly. A guy reached out from the car and hauled them in.

“You didn’t say she’d be with an old guy,” the guy in the car said to the driver as the gunman got in.

“What the fuck do you care?” the gunman snapped. “We got the girl. What does it matter who she’s with? Drive!” he added to the driver, who peeled out of the street.

“Grandpa John, I’m scared,” Amy whimpered, hanging onto him desperately.

“I know, honey, I know,” John said, hanging onto her. Truth be told, so was he, mainly for her sake. It seemed like they didn’t want _him_ , just _her_ , and years at SVU told him that it was unlikely to be for a reason he’d like. He reached for his phone, hoping to hide it between his body and Amy’s and get a message to Fin.

The guy next to them saw the glow and snatched it from him. “Uh-uh,” he said nastily, pocketing the phone. “Next time you try something like that, I shoot you.”

“Grandpa John!” Amy wailed, his neck in a deathlock.

“Okay, baby, you’re going to have to loosen up somewhat,” John choked out. “I won’t try it again,” he said to the guy. “But stop scaring her, she’s only two!”

*** 

Fin tried John’s cell idly during his lunch break, wondering how he and Amy were getting along. He also wanted to talk to Amy – he loved his granddaughter, of course, and didn’t talk to her nearly often enough. 

He frowned when John didn’t pick up. It was unlike John not to pick up his phone – John picked up _every_ call. He called again. Still no answer.

Well, maybe they couldn’t hear it, he figured, stuck in a loud café or something for lunch.

*** 

“Who’s this ‘Fin’ who keeps calling you?” the guy asked, looking at the ringing phone.

“I should really get that,” John answered. “Just a guy I work with,” he added, hushing Amy. Amy didn’t say anything, just buried her face in John’s neck.

“Maybe I should ask the girl.”

“Leave her alone,” John said. “You want answers, you can ask me. Or do you think I’m too old to remember?”

The guy snarled and let the phone ring. “Well, you’re not picking it up,” he said. “We’ve been planning this too long for you to warn anyone.”

“Look, he just wants some numbers from me so he can go ahead with the sales reports,” John lied. “He’s going to call again for them, I have the final sales figure. I promise all I’ll tell him is the numbers.”

The gunman looked back at them. “You always pick up when he calls?” he asked.

“Yes,” John answered. “We work together.”

The gunman looked at the other guy. “He calls again, we gotta pick it up. We don’t want any suspicion!” He pointed his gun at John. “You say _one word_ other than those sales figures, and we shoot you in front of your granddaughter.”

Amy was crying into John’s shoulder, and John rubbed her back reassuringly. “Just the sales figures,” he promised.

*** 

Fin called again two hours later, figuring by now John would definitely pick up. It was pretty dead in the squad room – they had booked the suspect twenty minutes ago, and were just doing the necessary paperwork to tidy up the case. They were close to heading home, and Fin was calling John to tell him the good news.

“Hello,” John said. It sounded stilted, and Fin frowned.

“John?” he asked.

“Yes, Fin, I’ve got those numbers for you like you wanted, so you can do your report. Listen, the final sales number is 1,013,002.24. Did you get that, Fin? It’s 1,013,002.24. Hope that helps. I’ve got to go now, that big meeting is coming up soon.” 

Fin had scrawled that number down and looked at his phone as the line went dead. He stared at the number, trying to parse it. 1,013,002.24. 10-13. Officer in need of assistance. 2.24 – two hours, 24 minutes ago. 

“ _Liv!_ ” he called, running towards Liv’s office. 

“What’s up, Fin?” she asked, taking her reading glasses off. “You can head home.”

“No one’s heading home, Liv. I just called John to give him the good news, and he told me he’s got sales numbers for me – 1,013,002.24. I figure that means 10-13, two hours, 24 minutes ago. I think they’ve been abducted.”

Liv stood up immediately, running out to the team. “Right, it sounds like John and –” she turned to Fin.

“Amy,” he said.

“Amy are in trouble, based on a phone call Fin just had with John,” Liv said. “John got a message to Fin in code – 10-13, two hours, 24 minutes ago. We have reason to believe they’ve been abducted, whereabouts unknown. No one’s going home.”

She turned back to Fin. “Where were they last?” she asked.

“Last I know, they were going to the park. Ken and Alejandro – his husband – asked us to take Amy for the day. I got called in, so John said they were going to go to the park, hang out there.”

“How do you want to handle this, Fin?” she asked softly. “Technically, you shouldn’t be on the case, but I’ll cut you some slack. We need to talk to Ken and Alejandro, and we need to canvass the park.”

“I’ll take talking to Ken and Alejandro,” Fin said with a heavy sigh. It was going to set them back further, he knew, but he felt wrong having anyone but him make that notification. 

“I’m going with,” Liv said. “Carisi, Rollins, you two take the park. I know the trail’s two hours cold, but see if _anyone_ remembers anything. Take some unis with you, canvass the whole park. Coordinate with the Central Park precinct for bodies. Fin, do you have a picture of John and Amy?”

Fin nodded and texted them to Carisi and Rollins.

“And received,” Carisi said. 

“Go!” Liv said. “Fin, with me.”

Carisi and Rollins headed out, Carisi on the phone with the Central Park precinct. Fin dialed Ken’s number hesitantly and asked to meet him, knowing this was not a notification to make over the phone.

*** 

Fin sighed as he put the car into park. He had been silent the whole way to Ken and Alejandro’s apartment, and Liv hadn’t pushed him to talk. She couldn’t imagine what he was going through, both his husband and granddaughter abducted. She turned to him. “You ready?”

“No,” Fin said. “How am I going to tell my son that we lost his granddaughter?”

“You didn’t lose her, Fin, they got kidnapped,” Liv said firmly. “And it’s _not_ your fault.”

“He’s going to think it is,” Fin said sadly.

He knocked on the door and Ken opened it, frowning when he saw Liv and no John or Amy. “What’s going on, Dad?” he asked, stepping aside to let them in.

“There’s no easy way to tell you this, Ken,” Fin said. “John took Amy to the park today. About 20 minutes ago, I called him and got a message in code. From what we can tell, they’ve been abducted.”

Ken scowled and crossed his arms. “Where were you?” he asked sourly.

Liv spoke up. “I called him into work. John and Amy were alone together. We have reason to believe both of them have been abducted.”

“Putting your work ahead again, Dad?”

“You don’t trust John?” Fin asked. “I’d’ve thought you trust John more than you trust me.”

“Maybe if _both_ of you had been there, this wouldn’t’ve happened,” Ken snapped. 

“Or all three of us would’ve been abducted and we wouldn’t’ve gotten John’s message!”

“Okay, you two, this is getting nowhere!” Liv said firmly, stepping in between them. “Right now, we need you to answer some questions, Mr. Randall.”

“Ken’s fine,” Ken said. “What do you want to know?”

“Has anyone been following your daughter or you?”

“Haven’t noticed anyone.”

“Anyone threaten you? Can you think of anyone who would want to do this?”

Ken thought for a moment. “About a year and a half ago, we got a hysterical call from Amy’s birth mother. Said she wanted the kid back, changed her mind, yadda yadda. We hired a lawyer, who told her that she didn’t have any rights after so long, but we haven’t heard anything from her since. It’s been almost 19 months since that hysterical call. We changed our number, but I can check with our lawyer.”

“Give us a release, and we’ll do it,” Fin said. 

Ken nodded. 

“Ken, I’m sorry.”

“Find her, please,” Ken begged. 

*** 

They were in a warehouse, tied to a post. John was cursing them internally. His wrists hurt and he was pretty sure this was cutting off the circulation to his hands: a dangerous proposition at _any_ age, but definitely his. 

“You think you can loosen these bonds enough so that I don’t lose my hands?” he asked.

“So you can run? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not leaving without my granddaughter,” John said. “But I’d rather like to have both hands when this whole thing is over. What do you want with us anyway?”

“We don’t give a rat’s ass about you,” the gunman snarled. “You’re just – whaddaya call it? – collateral damage. We need the girl.”

“ _Why_? She’s a _two-year-old_ , what could you _possibly_ want with her?” John cried.

“Shut up, old man.”

“Listen, maybe we could let the old dude go?” the guy who had been in the back of the car asked. “We got the girl, what are we gonna do with him? Longer we keep him here, the worse it gets – he could ID us!”

“Shut up!” the gunman said. “He’s not going _anywhere_.”

“What _are_ you going to do with me?” John asked. “I don’t suppose you’re letting both of us go after a while, and it’s pretty clear you want Amy for something.”

“Haven’t decided what we’re gonna do with you yet. But you’re not going anywhere.”

“I told you that already,” John said. “I’m _not_ leaving without Amy.”

*** 

Carisi and Rollins were canvassing the park. Most people hadn’t seen anything – hadn’t even _been_ at the park for that long. They had started at John and Fin’s apartment and worked their way through the routes through the park, figuring they were abducted at one of the streets where a car ran through.

“Excuse me!” Carisi called to a woman with a stroller. He held up his phone. “Have you seen this man and this child?”

“Did that man abduct someone?” she asked, clucking her tongue. “A damn shame. So much crime in this city, so many nasty men. I’ll remember his face, won’t I, Benjamin?” She bent down to tuck her baby in better.

“No, he’s her grandfather,” Carisi said impatiently. “We’re just trying to locate them. Can you take a better look, please, ma’am?”

“Her _grandfather_? Well, no accounting for taste.” She clucked again and wandered off with the stroller. Carisi sighed and looked at the picture – Amy was black. Racist bitch, he thought.

“Excuse me!” he called to a man playing with a dog. “Have you seen these two in the park today?”

The man came over and peered at the phone. “Yeah!” he said. “I did. Cute kid, I remember her. Looks like one of my nieces. Old guy with her, she kept calling him ‘Grandpa’. They got to that street there,” he pointed at the street where a car drove by, “and this man came up to them.”

“What happened next?”

“Guy puts a hand up, then picks up the kid and gets in the car. Car speeds out of here, going way too fast. Had to keep a firm hold on Jack’s leash here – he likes to chase after cars.”

“Did you get any of the license plate?” Carisi asked, writing all this information down.

“Just the last three,” guy said apologetically. “Ended with a P3Q, if that helps.”

“Yes, it does,” Carisi said. “Thank you. Did you see a gun?”

“No, but the guy’s back was turned to me. Not the old guy’s, the other one’s. Just saw the old guy put a hand up, then get in the car with the little one.”

“You didn’t call the police?”

Guy shrugged. “Didn’t see a gun,” he said. “Didn’t think anything of it until you showed up, really. Just remember the last three of the license plate ‘cause that’s what my car ends with.” He laughed. “’Course, I didn’t do it.”

“What kind of car was it?”

“Black Dodge Caravan,” guy said immediately. “New York license plates.”

***

“Ken sent you?” his lawyer, Joshua Goldberg asked.

“We’re investigating the disappearance of his daughter,” Liv said. Goldberg indicated the chairs in his office, and Liv and Fin took a seat.

“He said that there was some issue a year and a half ago with the birth mother?” Fin asked. “Something about a call. Has she called since then?” 

“I haven’t told him about the calls,” Goldberg said with a sigh. “I didn’t feel like he needed to know.”

“What calls?” Fin asked suspiciously.

“The birth mother keeps calling this office, wanting to take back the adoption. We told her that she can’t. Birth mother has 30 days to change her mind; she waited six months. She doesn’t have any legal recourse. The adoption was above board, and Ken and Alejandro are Amy’s legal parents. I didn’t think she’d _kidnap_ the child.”

“And her grandfather,” Liv added. “As far as we can tell, Amy and her grandfather were abducted from the park this morning.”

“I had no idea about any of this,” Goldberg said firmly. “The woman was disturbed, of course – and, in my opinion, often high – but I really didn’t think she’d try to kidnap Amy. I told my secretary to keep telling her that we’re not going to talk to her; the adoption was legal and she has no recourse. I suppose it drove her over the edge.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Counselor,” Liv said. “Do you have the mother’s name?”

“Of course. Here you go, Elizabeth Jordan.”

*** 

“Fin, at this point, you can’t be on this case,” Liv said in the car. “We’re bringing Jordan in for questioning, and you _cannot_ be there.”

“She _has my granddaughter, Liv! And my husband!_ ” Fin screamed, banging on the dashboard. “You can’t take me off this!”

“You shouldn’t have been on this to begin with; the defense is going to have a _field day_ if you question this suspect. You can watch, Fin, but that’s _it_. You are _not_ going in, and that’s _final_. As your Commanding Officer, that is _final_ , Fin!”

Fin’s face was a study in frustrated rage. Liv sighed. “Fin, I _know_ you’re angry and frustrated and want to find them, but you know you can’t be there. Anything we find out in interrogation, if you’re there, it won’t stick.”

“I don’t care,” Fin said. “I want them back.”

“I will send you home if I have to,” Liv threatened. “Right now, I am allowing you to watch the interview. Do not give me a reason to think that is a bad idea.”

Fin sighed and nodded.

*** 

Elizabeth Jordan was in their interrogation room. Fin, Amanda, Liv, and Carisi were standing outside. Barba came up. “I just heard what’s going on; why did no one call me?”

“We don’t have anything yet, just a suspect,” Liv said. 

“I’m sorry, Detective,” Barba said to Fin. 

Fin nodded distractedly.

“And you know you can’t go in there,” Barba continued. 

“Liv told me already,” Fin said shortly. “What are you guys waiting for?”

“Withdrawal symptoms to kick in,” Liv said. “Look at her, she’s strung out. I figure she’ll be a lot more chatty if she’s ready for her next fix.”

“And Amy and John could be dead by then,” Fin growled.

Liv sighed and opened the door. “Rollins, with me,” she said. Amanda nodded and shot a look at Fin. 

“So, Elizabeth,” Liv opened, “why do you think a junkie like you should get her daughter back?”

“That’s _my_ daughter!” Jordan shrieked. “They _took_ her from me!”

“Now, that’s not true, is it?” Liv asked. “ _You_ put her up for adoption. Probably the best move you made, considering ACS would’ve taken your daughter from you anyway. They don’t take kindly to junkies raising babies.”

“I wasn’t a junkie when she was born,” Jordan snarled. “I only started using after. ‘Cause I missed her and I wanted her back, and they won’t let me have her.”

“So you kidnapped her?” Amanda asked. “At gunpoint? Hell of a way to meet your kid.”

“I was desperate! I kept calling that lawyer’s office and they won’t even _talk_ to me. I just want to see my kid and they tell me I have no legal recourse for that. Well, I want my kid back, and if that’s how it’s gonna happen, _fine_!”

“Where is she, Elizabeth?” Liv asked softly. “Where are _they_?”

“ _They_?” Elizabeth asked. “They who? I only have one kid.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t just kidnap someone else’s daughter,” Amanda said, “because that’s what she is…”

“She’s _my daughter – MINE_!” Jordan screamed, leaping up so suddenly the chair got knocked over.

“You also kidnapped her grandfather.”

“I didn’t kidnap anyone,” Jordan said, going to the wall.

“Then who did?” Liv asked, standing up too. “’Cause someone _did_ , and _you_ certainly have the best motive, and you just said that if that’s how you get your kid back….”

Jordan turned into the wall and said nothing.

“We’re going to find them eventually,” Liv said. “That guy you kidnapped? He’s a former cop and a current special investigator for the DA. You know, they _really_ don’t take well to someone messing with one of their own. You wanna risk it? _Who has your daughter?_ ”

She continued to say nothing. Liv turned away, disgusted. She shot Amanda a look, and Amanda went close to Jordan.

“You know, I bet she’s really scared right now,” Amanda said softly. “All alone, with some thug you hired to kidnap her. You were probably supposed to meet her by now, but you’re not there, ‘cause you’re here with us, so the thug’s running out of options – he’s got this kid that’s gonna get him jail time for kidnapping. And he’s got a gun. He’s not gonna hang around to get caught. You think she’s still alive, Liv?”

Fin, watching from the other side, bit back a tortured sob. Carisi laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and Fin shook it off angrily. Barba sighed. “She’s not gonna give it up; she thinks she’s saving her kid.”

“From _what_?” Fin asked harshly. “Ken and Alejandro are great parents. There ain’t a damn thing to “save” her kid from.”

Liv shrugged. “I don’t know. If I were in the thug’s position, I wouldn’t be taking any risks.”

“I don’t believe you!” Jordan screamed. “She’s fine!”

“We can make sure of that if you tell us where she is,” Amanda said soothingly. “But here’s the thing. Law says we can hold you for 24 hours after we arrest you. You think he’s gonna wait 24 hours for you to show up?”

*** 

The gunman was pacing around desperately. John didn’t like it at all; he knew antsiness when he saw it, and it did not bode well when someone got that antsy with a gun.

“She was supposed to be here by now,” the back seat guy said to the gunman.

“You think I don’t know that, you fucking idiot?” the gunman snarled. “She’s two hours late!”

“Maybe she got caught?”

The gunman looked speculatively at John, who was watching him warily, and Amy, who had fallen asleep after crying for hours in terror. “In that case, we might as well kill these two and split. I ain’t going down for kidnapping.”

“So you’re going to go down for _murder_?” John asked disbelievingly. “You’re not thinking straight.”

“I can kill you two and get the hell out of Dodge,” the guy said, waving the gun. “Cops’ll never find me; they got nothing on me. Shit, man, that dumb bitch didn’t know a _thing_ about who she hired.”

***

Jordan slid down the wall, crying. “He was only supposed to kidnap her! I didn’t know he’d have a gun; I just thought he’d snatch her!”

“Where did he take her?” Amanda asked. “Elizabeth, _where is she_? She could still be alive, but if he has a gun, he’s _dangerous_.”

She said through sobs, “Abandoned warehouse,” and gave them the location.

Fin was already dashing through the door, Carisi on his heels. Fin was driving like a maniac, hoping fervently that the kidnapper hadn’t decided John and Amy were too much trouble yet. ESU was on the way, too, along with HNT. 

They were there, their arrival heralded by the loud sirens.

*** 

The gunman heard the sirens. “ _Fuck_ ,” he said. He pointed the gun at John. “You two are my ticket out of this.”

John raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen a hostage situation end well for anyone,” he answered. “The best solution? Put your gun down and go out with your hands up. That way, you’ll live.”

“You know an awful lot for some sales manager,” the guy snarled, shaking his gun. “Something you haven’t told us, _Grandpa_?”

Amy had woken up to the sirens and was whimpering again. “Grandpa John, are the police here?” she asked.

“Outside,” he answered, “but it’s not over yet.”

Amy’s lip trembled and he sighed. “Put your weapon down and take me with you,” John said. “They’re not going to shoot me.”

“I wouldn’t think they’d care about some sales manager. Or again, is there something you haven’t told me?!”

“I was a cop,” John said evenly. “For many, many years.”

Backseat guy yelped. “You _idiot_ , you _kidnapped a cop_!”

“Shut _up_!” the gunman yelled. 

The guy shook his head and bolted for the door, yelling, “I’m not going down for this. This was _your_ idea, you crazy bastard.”

The gunman fired at him, and the guy fell down on the floor. John sighed. Shots fired would mean ESU would storm the building in full body armor, scaring Amy further. Amy was full on screaming, and he tried to hush her.

“ _Shut the kid up_ ,” the gunman screamed, pointing his gun back at them. 

“You just _shot_ someone in front of a _two-year-old_ ,” John said crossly. “You don’t think that’s going to cause some screaming?”

*** 

Fin heard the shot and the subsequent screaming from Amy. “We gotta go, _now_ ,” he said to ESU. The person in charge turned to Liv, who nodded.

“Go! Go! Go!” he screamed, directing them.

They pounded towards the warehouse, taking the door out with one blow of the battering ram. They swarmed in the building, surrounding the gunman. Fin and Liv were right behind them, Carisi bringing up the rear.

One of the ESU team had managed to knock the weapon out of the gunman’s hands, and Carisi cuffed him, taking him away. Liv went to the body, feeling for a pulse. None. She sighed; she had hoped this could end without a body.

Fin went straight to John and Amy, undoing their restraints. John swung Amy into his arms, and Fin pulled both of them into a tight hug. He kissed John firmly, uncaring of who saw them. 

“I’ve been so worried,” he said quietly to John. “You okay, babe?” he asked.

“We’re both fine,” John said. “Physically, anyway. Gunman there shot someone.”

“I saw,” Fin said. “Come on, baby, let’s get you back to your daddies,” he said to Amy, taking her from John.

Ken and Alejandro were there, waiting impatiently. Amy reached for them, tears rolling down her face, and they took her eagerly, hugging and kissing her and hanging on like they were never going to let her out of their sight again. Fin had an inkling how they felt; he wasn’t too sure he was going to let John go anywhere.

Ken turned to Fin. “Sorry for what I said earlier.”

“S’okay,” Fin said. “I understand.”

“Thank you for bringing her back,” Ken said, brushing Amy’s hair back. “Thank you.”

Fin nodded and squeezed Ken’s shoulder, then went back to John. 

“What say we go home?” he asked softly. John nodded, leaning into Fin. 

*** 

Liv got up from bed, glancing at Barba. Well, no need to wake him. She went to check on Noah and watched him quietly while he slept. Today’s case had rattled her badly.

She felt Rafael wrap his arms around her from behind and she leaned into him. He murmured in her ear, “He’s perfectly fine.”

“Just worried,” she admitted softly, letting him lead her out of Noah’s room.

“He doesn’t have deranged birth parents to try to kidnap him,” Rafael reassured her. Liv turned in his arms and hugged him, “But I still worry. A _lot_ of lunatics out there.”

“There’s always going to be. But you do everything you can to protect him and hope that’s enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are love <3


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